Business, Innovation and Skills written statement – made at on 9 February 2012.
My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (Baroness Wilcox) has today made the following statement:
The Informal EU Competitiveness Council took place in Copenhagen on 2-
The research session of the Council on
The research Council then began on the
I attended the third session regarding the gap between basic science and commercialisation. I intervened to press for a stronger focus on the successful exploitation of research, and for support for innovation to be embedded throughout Horizon 2020. I also pressed the Commission to come forward with more detailed proposals for pan-European venture capital support and a version of the small business research initiative. Among the other workshops, member states pressed for more clarity on the link between Horizon 2020 and structural and cohesion funds, and for more ambitious plans for simplification.
The Industry and Internal Market Council followed on
Two workshops were then held focusing on both supply and demand in the digital single market. The main conclusion from the supply workshop was that it is imperative to boost the trust of consumers when ordering online. From the demand workshop, it emerged that the mutual recognition of e-signatures is crucial to improving e-invoicing, and that e-billing systems should be accessible across EU borders.